Conventionally, the manufacturer of casement windows whether the fixed window or swinging sash type starts with an extruder who extrudes the window frame and sash profiles to meet the requirements of the customer who is the actual window manufacturer who then fabricates the frames from these profiles.
To complete the windows, these fabricators must assemble the window frame and glazing unit and in the case of the swinging sash must purchase the necessary hardware to mount the sash in the window frame for its opening and closing function; the operating hardware for effecting the opening and closing movement of the sash; and the hardware for locking the sash in the closed position.
Customers of the swinging sash window fabricators will, of course, require windows of different sizes so that the fabricator must keep an inventory of hardware to fit the various sizes of windows he is required to supply. Further, the mounting of the hardware requires some machining of the frames assembled from the profiles supplied.
It will be appreciated that if the profiles are not accurately cut and assembled into the frames or subsequently properly machined to receive the hardware they become expensive waste items so that all in all the cost of the material in the form of the extrusions, the hardware for swinging sashes, potential waste costs, and costs in assembling the frames and the hardware costs make such casement window relatively expensive.
Moreover, conventional swinging sash casement windows for the residential market provide a window opening movement in which the sash is operated from an operator at one side of the window frame and swings to a position where it extends outwardly from the window frame at some point between the sides of the window frame thus reducing the egress area of escape through the window to just a portion of the size of the window frame opening.
Again, it will be appreciated that in some cases it is desirable that the window sash open outwardly towards the left and sometimes to open outwardly towards the right depending upon the window arrangement into which the casement window is to be incorporated. To provide for this flexibility of the customers demands, the fabricator must carry the necessary extensive hardware inventory to accommodate the customer's selection.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a new casement window manufacturing system and frames and matching hardware therefore which will greatly simplify the manufacture and materially reduce the costs of, and the time taken to, produce casement windows and to provide such windows which have important functional advantages over conventional casement windows.